Where the Bad Kids Go

Where the Bad Kids Go
The Set: The set of Where the Bad Kids Go is a very simple one. It remains the same throughout the entire play with minimal changes. It is the set of a normal classroom. There are two exits: one Up Center, and another Left. On the door that is Up Center, there is a tinted window. You cannot see clearly through it, but you can easily see someone’s shadow. To the right is Mr. Grey’s desk and behind that is the whiteboard and pull down screen. To the left are the student’s desks. The walls should remain white or light beige, the normality of a middle school classroom.
The Cast
(In Order Of Speaking)


Lydia
Student in 1994




Stranger
Mysterious figure, usually only a shadow




Nathan Smith
Disruptive boy; friend of Evan




Reese Fredricks
A normal, behaved boy



Roxanne “Roxy” Sanders
A stuck up, snotty girl



Evan Stone
Disruptive boy


Allison Cedar
A normal, behaved girl
Kasper Roswell
A boy who helped Willow cheat



Willow Jenson
A girl who cheated on a test



Jade Olivias
Rude, somewhat mean girl




Bethany “Beth” Williams
Another stuck up, snotty girl; friend of Roxy



Marcy Henderson
A goody-good girl



Mr. Grey
Strict replacement teacher


Jason Denton
A disrespectful, mean boy















Where the Bad Kids Go
By Harrison Pyros

Act 1
Scene 1
(The stage is dimly lit with no one onstage. There is a tense feeling given from the empty classroom. Backpacks and small items are placed about, forgotten in a hurry. Lydia burst in up center. She is scared and hysterical. She quickly slams the door and locks it. She runs to the teacher’s desk, and the Stranger appears and starts to pound on the up center door.)
Lydia. Go away! Leave me alone!
Stranger. (The Stranger’s voice is deep and scary. It can also be gruff and creepy. Offstage.) Open the door, Lydia. Open it, now.
Lydia. No. Go away.
Stranger. (Off.) You know I’ll get in anyway.
Lydia. (Shakes her head. Begging.) No. Please, go away. Please. Leave me alone.
Stanger. (Off.) You know that’s not going to happen.
(There is a pause and then someone crashes against the door. It flies open as Lydia screams. The stage instantly goes dark.)
Act 1
Scene 2
(When the lights come back up a few seconds later, Lydia and the Stranger are not there, the items around the room are gone, replaced by kids’ backpacks. The stage is brightly lit. A crowd of teens are casually at the desks. Roxy, Allison, Kasper, Willow, Reese, Evan, Beth, and Jade are all surrounded around Nathan who is telling a story. They are sitting on the top of desks and in the chairs as Nathan talks.)
Nathan. And the Stranger burst in and grabbed Lydia, that’s the girl’s name. And she, along with all the others, was never seen or even heard of again.
Reese. If she was never heard of again then how did you learn the story?
Nathan. Now see, that’s the weird part. One girl did get out, her name was Anne. She said that her and like seven other kids were going to spend the night at the school and prove that there was no such thing as the Grantridge Ghost. It was fun at first, but then kids started to disappear. And they would always see a shadow before something weird happened or someone disappeared. It was like someone was following them, waiting for them. Further into the night, more kids began to disappear. Anne said that the Stranger or Ghost or whatever would get closer and closer. He would bang on the door. He would yell. He would taunt them. Anne said he once dragged a girl out of the classroom. And in the end, she was the only one who got out of the school and escaped. But here’s the weird part, when she got to school the next day, all the kids were still missing and none of the teachers or students had any idea what Anne was talking about when she mentioned the missing kids. Everyone told her they all had just moved away to different states. But Anne kept insisting on what she saw happen, but no one would believe her.
Roxy. Do you believe her, Nathan?
Nathan. Of course I do.
Evan. When did this happen, anyway?
Nathan. Oh, way back in the nineties or something.
Allison. So what happened to the girl Anne?
Nathan. From what I’ve heard, the thing that happened at the school really messed her up. There were rumors about her having nightmares a lot and having to go to therapy because of the whole thing. After graduation, she moved to a diff-erent school. I don’t know what happened after that. And also, I went and I re-searched all the names of the kids that Anne said were at the school that night and I got nothing. There was no one with those names that went to Grantridge. Lydia and the others simply vanished.
(A long beat.)
Kasper. What a stupid name: Lydia.
Nathan. Seriously, that’s what you got from my story.
Willow. No, Kasper’s right. Listen to it: (She sounds it out and over-exaggerates every syllable.) Li-Dee-Uh.
Evan. You shouldn’t be talking, Willow. You’ve got a stupid name too.
Willow. (Annoyed.) Be quiet, Evan.
Jade. Willow. You were named after a tree.
Willow. And you were named after a rock, Jade. (Kasper laughs.) Don’t you be laughing, Kasper. You were named after a cartoon ghost.
Kasper. Yeah, but my name is spelled with a K, not a C. There’s a difference.
Willow. Barely.
Beth. (Excited.) Oh! I have an idea.
Allison. What is it?
Beth. Okay, so you know about the rumor of the Grantridge Ghost right?
Evan. Well, we kind of just heard a story about it.
Beth. (Ignoring him.) So how about next week, we all meet here, in this classroom and stay the night. (Fake creepily.) And see if anyone survives the night…
Nathan. (Whines.) You took my idea.
Beth. (Shrugs her shoulders.) Get over it.
Roxy. That’s awesome. I so want to do that.
Reese. Me too.
Jade. What day do we meet?
Kasper. How about next Thursday?
Willow. Next Thursday’s good.
Jade. I’ll tell Jason about it.
Marcy. (She enters up center carrying her backpack. Marcy has a high, innocent voice and is dressed like the perfect student and child. Actually, she is the perfect child.) Tell Jason about what?
Jade. (She does not like Marcy very much.) None of your business, Marcy.
Allison. We’re going to spend the night here on Thursday. Do you want to come?
Jade. (Groans.) Why would you invite her, Allison?
Marcy. Sure! I’d love to come.
Jade. (Sarcastic.) Fantastic.
Evan. (Trying to change the conversation.) Hey, did you guys hear? Ms. Oak retired. We’re getting a new teacher for this period.
Reese. Really? Yes!
Marcy. I heard it was because she couldn’t take our classroom anymore and retired.
Roxy. I’m just glad that old hag is gone.
Kasper. Did you know she once gave me detention for sneezing wrong? How do you sneeze wrong anyway?
Marcy. The new teacher, his name is Mr. Grey.
Reese. How do you know that?
Marcy. I met him at parent-teacher night. He was with Ms. Oak.
Willow. Parent-teacher night? When was that?
Marcy. Last week. Was I the only one who went?
Kasper. Probably. Everyone else has a life.
Marcy. (Ignoring Kasper.) My mom and I baked him some cookies for a welcome. They’re peanut-butter cookies. (She takes a Tupperware box out of her backpack.)
Beth. (To Roxy as a side comment.) Kiss up. (Roxy giggles.)
Allison. Well, he must not be a very good teacher. He’s ten minutes late and it’s the middle of the day.
Marcy. I was waiting outside, but he wasn’t coming. And another teacher told me to go into the classroom.
Roxy. You know it’s okay to go into the class if the teacher’s not there. It’s not like we’re going to die.
Marcy. But it’s against the rules!
Nathan. I think he’s coming right now. (All start to move back towards their seats.)
Mr. Grey. (Enters up center in a hurry.) Sorry, people. There was a huge accident in the computer lab and they asked me to help. Sorry.
Marcy. You’re ten minutes late.
Mr. Grey. I can already tell you’re going to be a pain in the… (Turns and looks at the small class.) Whoa. Why is this class so small?
Evan. Maybe because we’re in a small school.
Mr. Grey. Nobody likes a smart-alek.
Marcy. (Gets up holding the Tupperware of cookies.) I—um. My mom baked you some peanut-butter cookies. (She holds up the box.)
Mr. Grey. Thanks, but no thanks. I’m allergic to peanuts
Marcy. Oh…I’ll just…uh, put them…yeah. (She returns the box to her back-pack.)
Mr. Grey. All right. (He turns around and picks up a marker.) My name is Mr. Grey.
Nathan. That’s a boring name.
Mr. Grey. What’s your last name?
Nathan. Smith.
Mr. Grey. (Sarcastic.) Yes. And mine is boring. Anyway, my name is Mr. Grey. (He writes his name as he says it. While Mr. Grey is writing, Jason silently slips into the classroom up center and sits down in his seat in the corner of the front row, nearest the door. Mr. Grey turns around.) So today— (Sees Jason.) Young man, did you just come into this classroom?
Jason. No. I’ve been here the whole time.
Mr. Grey. Really? So you weren’t tardy?
Jason. Really. I wasn’t tardy.
Mr. Grey. (Gets his clipboard from his desk.) I know you’re late, kid. What’s your name? You have detention.
Jason. Daisy.
Evan. That’s a dumber name than Willow.
Willow. Stick it, Evan.
Mr. Grey. (Writing it down.) Dais—Wait what? Your name is Daisy?
Jason. Yeah. (All, except Marcy, are trying to contain their laughter.)
Mr. Grey. Seriously, what’s your name?
Jason. My name is Daisy. My parents really wanted a girl. I hate it too. You don’t need to rub it in and remind me how horrible it is.
Mr. Grey. Fine, Daisy. (He looks down his clipboard.) There’s no Daisy here.
(The whole class, besides Marcy, burst out laughing.)
Marcy. His name is Jason.
Jason. (Turns around to Marcy.) You just love ruining people’s fun, don’t you, buzz-kill?
Mr. Grey. Jason, I will not have this in my classroom. You have detention.
Jason. Whatever.
Mr. Grey. (To the class.) I’m going to take roll now. Say here when I call your name. (He looks at the clipboard.) Allison Cedar.
Allison. Here.
Mr. Grey. Jason Denton.
Jason. (Proudly.) You already know I’m here.
Mr. Grey. Unfortunately. Reese Fredricks.
Reese. Here.
Mr. Grey. Marcy Henderson.
Marcy. Present.
Mr. Grey. Willow Jenson.
Willow. Here.
Mr. Grey. Jade Olivias.
Jade. Here.
Mr. Grey. Kasper Roswell.
Kasper. ’Sup.
Mr. Grey. (Annoyed.) Did you not just here me a second ago? Say here when I call your name. Not ’Sup. Follow the directions.
Kasper. What about Marcy? She didn’t say here.
Mr. Grey. I let it slide the first time. I thought everyone else was paying attention, but clearly I was wrong. (Mr. Grey looks down at his clipboard to resume roll. Kasper makes a face at him while he’s not looking.) Roxanne Sanders.
Roxy. It’s Roxy.
Mr. Grey. (Makes a mark on his clipboard.) All right. Nathan Smith.
Nathan. (Raises his hand.) Here.
Mr. Grey. Evan Stone.
Evan. Here.
Mr. Grey. And finally Bethany Williams.
Beth. It’s Beth.
Mr. Grey. (Makes another mark on his chipboard.) All right, people, here’s what going to happen. Ms. Oak told me that you had some reports to present. We’re going to present those. And yes, even though Ms. Oak is retired now, you’re still going to have that test next week on the Revolutionary War. (All groan.) Oh, get over it. I had to do it when I was your age, and I got through it just fine.
Evan. What’s the point of learning history, anyway? It already happened.
Mr. Grey. History repeats itself. We learn from our mistakes.
Evan. I doubt I’m going to start a war with Britain, so can I leave? (Stands up.)
Mr. Grey. Sit down. The reason you are learning it is because it’s going to be on the test. Got it? (Evan sits down.) Now, who wants to read their report first?
(All, except Marcy, turn their heads and avoid eye contact, trying to not attract attention. Marcy shoots her hand up in the air.)
Marcy. Oh! Me. I do! (She waves her hand enthusiastically.) Me! Me! Please.
Mr. Grey. Anyone else? (Marcy waves her hand more excitedly.) Fine. Marcy.
Marcy. Yes! (She quickly gets her report from her backpack and runs up to the front of the class. Mr. Grey goes to the desk and takes out a notebook and pen, ready to take notes on Marcy’s presentation.) Okay. (She clears her throat.) My report is on the history of the typewriter.
(All, except Mr. Grey, groan.)
Mr. Grey. (Warning.) Class.
All. (Except Marcy and Mr. Grey. Forced.) Yay…
Marcy. So the history of the type writer starts way back in ancient China with the woodblock printer. Obviously, the woodblock printer was made out of wood. It was made by etching a specific page into a block of wood. Before that, everything was written entirely by hand. And that is a lot of work. (As Marcy talks and Mr. Grey takes notes, Nathan pretends to fall out of his chair sleeping. Jade mimics Marcy as she talks, over-exaggerating her happiness and goody-two-shoes manner. Kasper stands on his chair and pretends to hang himself. Jason starts texting on his phone. The ones who don’t do anything watch the others and try to contain their laughter.) It was improved by the Gutenberg Press. The first thing that was printed was a Bible, of course since so many of the people back then were very religious. But the invention that made a tremendous difference in the history of the typewriter is (At that moment Roxy throws a balled up piece of paper or flicks a rubber-band, whichever is easier, which then hits Marcy in the face.) Oh!
Mr. Grey. (Looks up.) What’s wrong?
Marcy. Something just hit me in the face.
Mr. Grey. What? (Turns to the class.) All right, who threw it at her?
Willow. Wasn’t me.
Evan. Yeah, it wasn’t Weirdo.
Willow. (Irritated.) My name is Willow, Evan. It’s not funny. (Evan and Nathan snicker.)
Mr. Grey. I want to know who threw it at her.
Jason. So you can thank them? It finally shut her up.
Mr. Grey. Okay, I’m done with you. You have a week’s detention.
Jason. What? That’s not fair!
Mr. Grey. And give me the phone you were texting with. I’m not blind you know. (Jason reluctantly hands over his phone.) Go on, Marcy.
(At that moment, the bell rings.)
Beth. Saved by the bell.
Kasper. Thank all that is holy.
Mr. Grey. Why is the bell ringing so early?
Allison. Well, you were late and we have an assembly schedule today.
Reese. There’s an assembly at the end of the day.
Mr. Grey. Huh. Well, I have to go to the computer lab. Enjoy your lunch. (He quickly exits up center.)
(Marcy, Allison, Reese, Jason, Jade, Evan, Nathan, Willow, and Kasper exit up center and left with their backpacks. Allison leaves hers.)
Beth. (Sits on one of the desks.) So what do you think of our new teacher?
Roxy. Hate him.
Beth. Same here. He’s so uptight.
Roxy. Exactly. (She smiles.) Did you see Marcy’s face when I hit her?
Beth. That was hilarious.
Roxy. I kind of wish we still had Ms. Oak. She was annoying, but at least she wasn’t some evil freak like Mr. Grey. A week’s detention for texting? That was so uncool.
Beth. Seriously. Ms. Oak was harsh, but Mr. Grey is just crazy.
Allison. (Enters up center and picks up her backpack.) Forgot my backpack. See ya later. (She exits up center.)
Roxy. (Shakes her head.) Poor Allison.
Beth. What’s the matter with her?
Roxy. She’s too nice. She’s not like annoying Marcy nice, but she’s just nice.
Beth. And what’s wrong with that?
Roxy. We’re going into high school next year, Beth. I doubt she’ll survive in high school if she’s that nice. She won’t stand up for herself.
Beth. (Not really agreeing or caring.) I guess.
Roxy. I want to be an actress. And Hollywood, it’s not nice. You have to claw your way up to the top and fight tooth and nail to get what you want. I’m pretty sure that’s what you have to do in any job. There will always be someone competing against you. And the nice people? They’re used as stairs because people walk all over them.
Beth. You make it sound depressing.
Roxy. I speak the truth. I just hope Allison can make it through. I really like her. Let’s go to lunch.
(Beth and Roxyexit left with their backpacks. A moment later, Willow enters up center carrying her backpack and a history book. She sits down at one of the desks and begins to read and take notes.)
Willow. (She talks while she works.) Stupid Ms. Oak. Even when she’s gone, she’s still giving us these long, useless tests. Twenty percent of our grade. It’s insanity! And for history too. All it is, is just a bunch of dates and facts that— (Reading in the book.) Hey, that’s kind of interesting. (She stops herself from being interested.) No. No, Willow. This is boring. This is stupid.
Kasper. (Entering up center.) You got that right. (Willow is startled at his sudden entrance.) Whatcha doin’?
Willow. What does it look like? Studying.
Kasper. (Casually leans against a desk.) Well, I got a proposition for you.
Willow. Don’t use big words, Kasper. You might hurt yourself.
Kasper. Fine, fine, fine. I guess you don’t want to know the trick to acing the test.
Willow. Wait, what?
Kasper. Oh, so suddenly I have your attention now?
Willow. Well, you can’t just say something like that and not expect a reaction.
Kasper. So you do want to know what the trick is.
Willow. What do you think?
Kasper. I don’t know. Last time I checked, I could just hurt myself using big words.
Willow. Okay, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Now what is it?
Kasper. The trick is (He pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket.) to know the answers before the test.
Willow. What in the— Are those the test answers?
Kasper. Aren’t you the little genius?
Willow. How did you even get those?
Kasper. I found them in the desk. (Points to Mr. Grey’s desk.) Not a very good place to hide the answers. Ms. Oak didn’t even lock the desk!
Willow. So you just took them?
Kasper. Why wouldn’t I? If she’s gonna wave the answers in front of my face, I’m going to take them.
Willow. But she wasn’t waving them in your face. They were in her desk.
Kasper. Whatever. Who cares how I got them? I have them now, and that’s all that matters. So do you want them or not?
Willow. Yes! (She stops herself.) I mean, no. It’s just—why are you giving them to me?
Kasper. Why not?
Willow. (Pause. She narrows her eyes.) What do you want?
Kasper. Nothing. (Willow raises her eyebrows.) Okay, fine. I needed a favor from you.
Willow. And what is that?
Kasper. Just an I-Owe-You. For the future. It’s like insurance.
Willow. Uh…Okay. That’s it?
Kasper. That’s it. So you in? You want the answers?
Willow. Yes! (Kasper hands her the papers.) Kasper, I’m so happy right now I could kiss you.
Kasper. (Flirty.) So why don’t you?
Willow. (Sweetly.) Because I’m neither crazy nor desperate. Bye! (She exits up center with the answers, the book, and backpack.)
(Kasper laughs goodheartedly and exits left. A moment later, Jade and Jason enter up center.)
Jason. It ticks me off, you know. I mean, what am I supposed to do? Listen to Marcy give her report about typewriters? Something we don’t even use anymore? It was like she was begging me to text.
Jade. I would’ve been texting too, but my phone was dead.
Jason. And what is with our school and hiring these uptight teachers.
Jade. I know. First Ms. Oak and now we have Mr. Grey. Grey. Even his name is boring.
Jason. He’s got less personality than a typewriter.
Jade. No kidding. Halfway through the roll, I expected him to break down and start repeating the same name. (Gives an example in monotone.) Roxy… Roxy… Roxy.
Jason. (Goes to the front of the class. Imitates Mr. Grey with a boring, mono-tonous voice.) Hullo, class. I am going to take roll. I want you to say here when I call your name.
Jade. (Laughs. She looks at the clock.) Oh, man. I forgot I have to meet Susie down at the Lower Field. Meet me down there?
Jason. Yeah. I’m just going to get my phone right now.
Jade. You’re just going to take it?
Jason. Sure. He’s probably going to take about fifty other kids’ phone. He won’t notice mine is missing.
Jade. (Shrugs.) ’Kay. See ya. (She exits left.)
Jason. (Goes over to desk.) Now where did you put my phone, old man? (He starts opening drawers and looking inside them. As he does this, the shadow of the Stranger passes by the up center door’s window. Jason doesn’t notice.) It’s got to be in here somewhere. (He keeps searching. The up center door opens slightly.) Hello? (Looks at the door suspiciously then resumes searching. The lights suddenly go out and you hear Jason scream. End of Scene Two.)
Act 1
Scene 3
(It opens up with Nathan, Roxy, Evan, Willow, Jade, Reese, Beth, Kasper, and Allison onstage. Like in the beginning of Scene Two, all the kids are sitting casually in or on top of desks. The overhead screen is pulled down. It has been one week.)
Nathan. I bet he was abducted by aliens.
Roxy. What are you, stupid? He’s probably in Witness Protection or something.
Evan. I bet he found out his middle name was Willow and he’s at home crying about its dumbness.
Willow. You know, Evan, there’s this really good drink I think you should go and try. It’s in the teacher’s lounge under the sink labeled Bleach. You’d like it.
Marcy. (Entering up center.) Maybe he just moved away.
Jade. I wish you’d move away.
Marcy. Why are you so mean, Jade?
Jade. I’m not mean; I’m just not nice to you. There’s a difference.
(Marcy sits in her seat by herself.)
Beth. And besides, Jason wouldn’t move away without telling anyone.
Roxy. That’s why I think he’s in Witness Protection.
Reese. Maybe he’s just sick.
Allison. He’s been out for a week.
Kasper. Maybe he’s really sick.
Roxy. He hasn’t responded to my texts.
Kasper. I wouldn’t either.
Roxy. Shut up, Kasper.
Nathan. (Eerily.) Maybe he was taken by the Grantridge Ghost…
Allison. (After a pause.) Who?
Nathan. Seriously? You guys forgot my ghost story that fast?
Reese. Oh, yeah. The girl in the nineties or whatever with the dumb name.
Evan. Hey, look at that, Willow. Something you and that Lydia chick have in common: stupid names.
Willow. You know, I’m tiring of you.
Beth. I’ll text Jason later to see if he responds.
Mr. Grey. (Enters up center.) All right people, to your seats. (All move to their seats. Mr. Grey does a head count of all the students.) Jason still missing?
Marcy. Yeah.
Mr. Grey. Does anyone know what happened to him?
Nathan. (Raising his hand.) He was abducted by aliens.
Mr. Grey. (Looks at him for a second.) Okay, can someone tell me what really happened to him who’s not an idiot?
Allison. We don’t know where he is.
Mr. Grey. Huh. (Makes a mark on his paper.) All right, so today we’ll be— (He pulls up the screen. On the board, written crudely in red marker, are the words: Willow is a cheater.) What the…?
Evan. What is that?
Willow. (Stands up. Furious.) Who did that?
Jade. What’s going on?
Allison. Why does it say “Willow is a cheater”?
Roxy. Didn’t you get like a hundred on the test?
Willow. That doesn’t mean anything.
(Kasper sits completely still, not saying anything.)
Reese. Then why is someone saying you’re a cheater?
Nathan. Yeah, Willow.
Evan. (To Nathan. Sarcastic.) Nice backup, Smart-One.
Mr. Grey. Willow, do you need to say something?
Beth. How’d you get such a high grade, Willow?
Willow. I—I studied. Is it so hard to believe I got a good grade when I studied?
Marcy. When there’s someone saying you cheated, it is kind of hard to believe you.
Willow. (She’s at a loss for words.) I—I… (She storms out of the classroom, up center.)
Mr. Grey. I’m going to get her. All of you: stay here and don’t do anything. (Quickly exits up center.)
Reese. Well that was dramatic.
Jade. Yeah, no kidding.
Evan. Kasper, you didn’t say one word.
Kasper. I find something more interesting when you don’t interfere with it.
Beth. Are you saying that you wrote that on the board?
Kasper. No, of course not. Does that look like my handwriting?
Allison. You’re right. It can’t be Kasper’s. I can actually read it.
Marcy. Do you think she really did it?
Nathan. Did what?
Jade. The chipmunk (Motions to Marcy.) means do you think Willow cheated.
Evan. Oh, absolutely.
Roxy. Totally. There was no way she could get that high of a score on a test like that. It was so confusing and the questions were so…ugh.
Kasper. That’s not saying much coming from a girl who couldn’t open a child-proof cap.
Roxy. One time, okay? One time! I was in sixth grade.
Nathan. But I agree with Roxy. That test was hard. I got a C minus on it.
Jade. You get a C minus on everything. (Nathan shrugs.)
Allison. But that test was hard. I studied for like two hours and I still only got a B plus.
Reese. Yeah, me too. Some of those questions didn’t make sense.
Kasper. I don’t know what you guys are talking about. That was the easiest test I’ve ever taken. I got an A, and if I got an A, Willow could do it easy.
Beth. (Surprised.) What? I think I just entered the Twilight Zone or some alternate universe. Kasper Roswell? Smart? What is this?
Kasper. Well, that’s rude.
Evan. She’s got a right to be surprised.
Kasper. (Defending himself.) Hey, I’m smart.
Roxy. Your IQ is the same number as your age.
Allison. Now that is a low IQ.
Kasper. That is cold.
Nathan. So you don’t think Willow cheated?
Kasper. Are you serious? Willow, of all people, cheating on a test. Get real people. Someone is just trying to be funny and stir up some drama by writing that. (Points to board.)
Marcy. He does have a point.
Beth. Yeah, I can’t see Willow actually cheating.
Jade. She’s as much of a rebel as Marcy is.
Evan. That’s insulting to Willow. Being compared to Marcy and all.
Marcy. Hey!
Reese. Hey, I just remembered, we’re going to meet here tonight.
Jade. Oh, man. Jason’s going to miss it.
Roxy. Not unless he gets out of Witness Protection.
Nathan. Or the aliens return him, but I highly doubt that will happen.
Roxy. Will somebody punch him? (Motions to Nathan.)
Mr. Grey. (Opens the door and enters up center. Willow comes in behind him.) Everyone, I’m sending you to Mrs. Fletcher’s room. I need to have a talk with Willow in private. (All except Willow and Mr. Grey move out of the classroom.) Have a seat Willow.
Willow. (Sits in one of the desks.) I didn’t do it.
Mr. Grey. No one’s accusing you of anything.
Willow. Except for the person who wrote that. (Motions towards the board.)
Mr. Grey. That’s what I wanted to ask, Willow. Why would someone write that?
Willow. How should I know?
Mr. Grey. Willow, your grade was the highest in the class. It gives me reason to be suspicious.
Willow. So, what? I studied. I got a good grade. I always get a good grade. And now someone is jealous and trying to get me in trouble by saying I cheated.
Mr. Grey. Do you know who might want you to get in trouble?
Willow. No. No one at all.
Mr. Grey. So you swear you didn’t cheat on the test?
Willow. I did not cheat.
Act 2
Scene 1
(It is nighttime at the school. Jade, Reese, Allison, Beth, Evan, Roxy, Kasper, Nathan, and Willow are onstage. They are sitting or standing in comfortable places: on desks including Mr. Grey’s, leaning against the whiteboard, etc. Jade has a roll of Mentos in her hand and is passing them out to whoever wants one.)


Jade. It’s too bad for Jason. He doesn’t get to come.
Allison. I feel really bad for him.
Nathan. It’s those aliens I tell you.
(Someone knocks at the up center door.)
Roxy. That must be those aliens.
Jade. I got it. (Walks over and opens up center door. Marcy is standing there.)
Marcy. Hi, Jade. I’m— (She is cut off when Jade slams the door in her face. Jade returns to her previous spot.)
Reese. Who was that? At the door?
Jade. No one of any importance.
Beth. Did you just shut the door in Marcy’s face?
Jade. (Feigns innocence.) No…
Allison. I’ll get her. (Goes over and opens the door up center. Moves out of the way of the door.)
Jade. Well, the party’s over.
Allison. Don’t be so mean, Jade.
Jade. I’m not being mean, I’m being rude. Huge difference.
Kasper. You can come in now, Marcy. (She is still standing outside.)
Willow. Are you a vampire or something? Do you need an invitation to come in? (In a deep voice.) Come in, Vampire. I summon you.
Jade. (Waving Marcy away.) No. No, leave her out there. I cancel that summon. Stay away.
Marcy. I’m not a vampire.
Beth. Then come in.
Marcy. But…But it’s against the rules.
Evan. (He slaps his hand against his face in frustration.) Oh, just shut up and come inside.
Marcy. Is there a teacher in there?
Willow. You don’t need a teacher for everything.
Roxy. We’re already in this school the whole night.
Marcy. But didn’t you get permission?
Kasper. Sure, if it will make you happy.
Marcy. Oh—okay. (She hesitantly steps inside and closes the door behind her.)
Jade. Does anyone want a Mento?
Kasper. Sure. (He gets one and pops it in his mouth.)
Marcy. Can I have one?
Jade. Only if you wash it down with some Diet Coke.
Marcy. That’s not funny, Jade.
Roxy. I’d actually like to see that happen. Does anyone have any Diet Coke?
(Marcy folds her arms and angrily pouts.)
Jade. Relax, Marcy. Here. (She tosses her a Mento.)
Allison. So what do you guys want to do?
Nathan. How about truth or dare?
Beth. Maybe if we were in second grade.
Nathan. So I’m guessing that’s a no.
Reese. I have a riddle.
Kasper. I love riddles. Let’s hear it.
Reese. Okay. What always runs, never walks; always murmurs never talks; has a bed, but never sleeps; has a mouth by never eats?
Jade. Well, we can cross Marcy off the list since she talks way too much.
Evan. I don’t know. A microwave?
Roxy. Since when does a microwave have a bed?
Evan. Guesses can be wrong, Roxy.
Allison. Okay, I give up. What is it?
Reese. It was so simple. A river.
(All give a chorus of Ohs.)
Nathan. (Immediately after the Ohs end.) I don’t get it.
Allison. Excuse me; I need to go to the bathroom. (She exits up center.)
Willow. Hey, you know what’s weird?
Evan. Your name.
Willow. Not as weird as your face. Anyway, my little sister was watching Cinderella and I noticed something. If the glass slipper was a perfect fit, then how did it fall off when she was running away from the ball?
Beth. I never noticed that before.
Jade. That’s so cool.
Nathan. Did you know that all polar bears are left handed?
Kasper. Polar bears don’t have hands.
Nathan. Paws, whatever.
Roxy. I have a cool fact. Did you know that— (At that moment, Allison’s hand slams into the window of the door. All jump and look at the door as Allison hurries in. She slams the door behind her.) What’s the matter with you?
Allison. Someone’s out there!
Reese. What? Who?
Allison. I don’t know. He was following me. I was walking down the hall and I swear I saw someone pass by another classroom window.
Evan. Are you trying to mess with us?
Allison. No. I’m being serious. There was someone there.
Marcy. Who would be here this time of night?
Willow. Well, for one: us.
Marcy. I meant who else.
Beth. The janitor maybe.
Reese. This late? It’s ten.
Kasper. Are you sure you saw someone?
Allison. (Persisting.) Yes! I saw it with my own eyes. Do you want me to prove it, ’cause he’s probably still there?
Nathan. This better not be a joke.
Allison. It’s not. I swear.
Kasper. Fine, we’ll search the place. I’ll go with Willow; Evan, go with Nathan; Reese, go with Allison; Roxy, you go with Beth; and Jade, go with Marcy.
Jade. Why am I being punished?
(All except Beth and Roxy exit up center talking about what happened with Allison. Roxy is going to exit, but turns around to look at Beth who is looking for her phone in her bag.)
Roxy. Are you coming or what?
Beth. Hold on, let me just find my phone.
(Beth rummages around in her bag some more.)
Roxy. Would you hurry up?
Beth. Relax your face, Roxy. You can go if you want.
Roxy. (Rolls her eyes.) Fine, I’ll catch up with Willow and Kasper. We’ll be down the hall.
Beth. Fine, Miss Impatient. (Roxy exits up center.) Where is that phone? (The Stranger’s shadow passes by the up center window. Beth doesn’t notice.) Ah, got it. (She holds the cell phone triumphantly in her hand. A noise comes over the speaker like someone setting up a record.) What the? (The song: One by Three Dog Night comes on over the speaker.) What is this? Hello? (The song starts to grow in volume.) Oh, I get it. That’s hilarious. One is the loneliest number because I’m the only one here. Funny. Is this why you wanted to leave, Roxy? (The Stanger passes by the window again unnoticed.) Very creative with whole song thing. You can shut it off now. (The song plays on getting louder.) Okay, seriously shut it off. You’re really creeping me out. (Pause.) Forget this. (She walks to the up center door and tries to open it. It’s locked.) Hey! (Hits against the door.) Open up. Hey, someone, unlock the door. (Turns back around.) This isn’t funny. (She quickly goes to the left door. It too is locked. Beth turns and sees the Stanger pass the up center door this time. Beth screams.) This isn’t funny. I’m seriously scared. Open the door! (She is yelling over the music.) Open the door, please! (The Stranger starts to rattle and shake the up center door. Beth gets as far away from it as possible. The up center door then burst open and the song is immediately shut off and the lights go out. Beth screams.)
(Pause of tense silence.)
Roxy. (Offstage.) What was that?
Evan. (Off.) And that music? Where was it coming from?
Marcy. (Off.) I can barely see a thing!
Jade. (Off.) Who in their right mind turned out the lights?
Willow. (Off.) Ow! You’re on my foot. Get off my foot!
Kasper. (Off.) Does someone have a phone they can shine or something?
Allison. (Off.) Here. I got one.
Nathan. (Off. The sound of him falling and hitting the ground is heard.) Who tripped me?
Marcy. (Off.) Sorry.
Reese. (Off.) Over here. Found the door. (Tries to open it. It rattles.) It’s jammed.
Willow. (Off.) I can feel something against it.
Kasper. (Off.) I got it. (He shakes the door like he’s pulling something off of it.) There. (Sounds of him opening the door are heard.)
Evan. Will someone please turn on the lights?
(Jade flicks on the lights. The lights come back up on the stage.)
Reese. What was jammed in the door?
Kasper. (Holds up a ripped rag.) Someone stuffed a rag or something in it so it was jammed I guess.
Marcy. Why?
Kasper. Does it look like I know?
Roxy. (Looks around.) Hey, where’s Beth?
Allison. I thought she was with you.
Roxy. I left her when she was looking for her phone.
Nathan. You mean this? (Takes Beth’s phone off the floor from under the desks.)
Roxy. Yeah…
Evan. (After a pause.) She’s probably just playing a joke or something.
Reese. Yeah, she wants us to think the Grantridge Ghost took her.
Allison. Totally.
Kasper. Stupid Beth.
Willow. It would be something Beth would do.
Roxy. But why would she leave her phone?
Jade. To add to the mystery. Duh.
(All get very excited talking about Beth and the Ghost, nodding their heads and talking with plenty of hand motions.)
Nathan. (Interrupting the noise.) I say we go out there and look for her.
(The excitement instantly dies down. No one wants to go out there.)
Marcy. I’d—I’d rather stay here. (Sits down.)
Willow. Yeah, me too.
Evan. I don’t want to go out there.
Kasper. She kind of did scare me.
Nathan. Oh, you guys are a bunch of chicken-bags.
Allison. Fine. You go out there in the dark.
Nathan. (Rethinks, himself.) Well maybe it’s better if we all stay here.
Jade. Aw, is Nathan a little scared now? Do you need someone to hold your hand?
Nathan. Do you want to go out there, Jade?
Jade. I’m fine with it.
Roxy. Really? You couldn’t get me to go out in that dark hallway even if someone let me punch Mr. Grey in the face for free.
Jade. I’m not scared. In fact, I’ll go right now. (She walks over to the up center door and opens it. Over-dramatic.) If I’m not back in five minutes—save yourselves! (She exits dramatically and closes the door behind her.)
Marcy. Are we really just letting her go out there to look for Beth all alone?
Reese. Do you think someone should go with her?
Kasper. She’ll be fine. That girl could take Evan and Nathan combined, easy.
Evan. Hey!
Nathan. (Shrugging.) It’s true.
Allison. I think someone should go with her.
Nathan. (Groaning.) Fine. I’ll do it. (He walks over and opens the up center door. He steps outside. Jade immediately jumps out and screams, grabbing him.
(All jump back with surprise. Nathan screams like a girl, using a sound effect, and runs offstage, down the hall.)
Jade. (Laughing.) Priceless! (Enters again and closes the door.)
Willow. You even scared me. My heart is beating so fast.
Allison. That was so cruel.
Kasper. But hilarious!
Evan. I’ll get him. (Exits left.)
Reese. Hold up. I’ll come too. (Exits left.)
Jade. Did you see his face? And his scream—oh, that was great! It was like a lady.
Roxy. Wait, so you didn’t even look for Beth?
Jade. You really think I’m going to go looking for some chick all alone in a dark school with a rumored ghost? Get real, Roxy.
Willow. So you were just waiting there for someone?
Jade. It was worth it, waiting in the dark.
Reese. (Entering left.) Has Evan or Nathan come back yet?
Kasper. No. Why?
Reese. I can’t find them. (Exits left again.) Nathan? Evan?
Jade. Do you think he cried “wee, wee, wee” all the way home?
Allison. He literally took off sprinting.
Willow. I think he broke a few records there.
(Evan and Reeseenter up center.)
Reese. Still couldn’t find him.
Evan. He just disappeared.
(This has a sobering effect on all in the room.)
Allison. Maybe he’s with Beth or something. Planning to scare us, you know?
Roxy. Well, they’re going to be very disappointed because now we all know.
Reese. But don’t you think it’s just weird he just vanished?
Kasper. Maybe he went into one of the rooms.
Marcy. What if he was really taken by the Ghost?
Jade. Hey, Marcy, can you do me a favor?
Marcy. Yeah, what is it?
Jade. Shut up. (Pause.) There is no such thing as the Grantridge Ghost. I mean come on people; we’re really going to believe something Nathan told us?
Willow. You do have a point.
Reese. And it was Nathan who told us the story anyway. He and Beth probably planned the whole thing to scare us.
Marcy. What story?
Roxy. We’ll explain later.
Allison. I remember that story. The one with the Stranger and that girl Anne.
Evan. And Lydia. Let’s not forget about the stupid-named one. (Turns to Willow.) Speaking of stupid names…
Willow. Bite me.
(The Stranger slips a note under the up center door. His shadow does not appear.)
Roxy. What’s that? (She points to the note.)
Kasper. (Goes over and picks it up. Reading.) Tick, tock goes the clock. I knock at the door you didn’t lock. (Quits reading.) What?
Allison. Okay, that is just—(She is cut off when the Stranger knocks at the up center door. All in the classroom whip their heads to look at the door.)
Evan. Did someone just knock?
Willow. That’s what it sounded like.
(No one moves for a while, just staring at the door. Finally, Roxy starts to move from across the room towards it.)
Reese. (In a shrill whisper.) What are you doing?
Roxy. Answering the door.
Marcy. Don’t!
Evan. The—Stranger or something is out there.
Roxy. No one’s going to be there. (She slowly opens the door. She then steps outside and turns around. She raises her arms to both sides.) See, no one’s here. (You expect her to be taken, but after a couple of tense seconds, she steps back inside and closes the door. She steps out of the way of the door and window.) You guys are idiots.
(The Stranger’s shadow passes by the door from right to left.)
Allison. (Screams.)
Jade. I just saw it!
Kasper. He was right there!
Roxy. Who was right there?
Reese. The Stranger!
Roxy. (Alarmed.) What? (She quickly moves away from the up center door.)
Marcy. What’s going on?
Evan. That shadow didn’t look like Nathan or Beth.
Jade. Then who was that?
Kasper. (Trying to regain control.) Everyone! Everyone, just relax. Relax. (The room quiets down.) All right, calm down. (He takes a breath.) Here’s what we’re—
(He is cut off when the left door bursts open and you see the Stranger’s arms grab Evan. He pulls Evan out of the room. Everyone reacts. Most of the girls scream.)
Marcy. Evan!
Willow. Lock the door, lock the door!
(Kasper quickly shuts the left door and locks it. People are still in a state of hysteria. Jade runs up and locks the up center door. The Stranger’s hand slams against the window and he shakes the door. Jade jumps back with a scream.)
Allison. What’s going on?
Reese. What about Evan?
Roxy. (Yelling to the Stranger.) What do you want?
(Pause.)
Stranger. (Off.) I want you. All of you. And I’ll be waiting. Waiting right here until I get what I want.
(Instant Blackout.)
Act 2
Scene 2
(Marcy, Jade, Reese, Allison, Willow, Roxy, and Kasper are onstage. They are all tense and curled up, afraid of what the Stranger will do.)


Roxy. Something’s interfering with my cell phone.
Reese. I can’t call the police either.
Marcy. What’s going to happen to us?
Jade. What happened to the others? That’s what we should be asking.
Kasper. The Stranger took them. That’s what happened, Jade.
Allison. How—how did Nathan’s story go again?
Willow. I remember there were eight to start with.
Reese. And only one got out.
Jade. The girl named Anne.
Allison. I just can’t believe the Ghost is real.
Willow. For all we know, it’s not. It may just be some guy Beth and Nathan brought along to really scare us.
Kasper. Well, they sure scared me. I wish they’d stop now.
Marcy. Whatever happened to the kids other than Anne? How did the Stranger take them?
Reese. I remember he took a lot whenever the lights went out.
Roxy. (Soft.) Like Beth.
(The Stranger’s shadow passes by the window.)
Jade. There he is again.
Willow. He can’t get in if the doors are locked.
Allison. So what are we supposed to do?
Kasper. Wait him out until morning. Tomorrow’s Friday. Teachers and other people will show up for school.
Stranger. (Off. Taunting.) Come on. Come out here.
Roxy. Go away!
Marcy. I should have never come.
Jade. I agree with you.
Marcy. (Sarcastic.) It’s good to see you still have your cruel sense of humor, Jade.
Allison. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks down that door.
Reese. We’re safe in here.
Kasper. Allison’s right. That door won’t hold forever.
Willow. (Standing up.) Then what do we do? Wait in here to be picked off?
Kasper. No. One of us has got to go and run for help.
Marcy. As in go out there? (Vigorously shakes her head and sits down.) No way. Not me.
Roxy. (Pause. Raising her hand.) I’ll do it.
Willow. Are you crazy?
Reese. Do you at least have a plan?
Roxy. Somewhat. Come here. (All gather around Roxy. She talks in a low voice.) I want all of you to go over to the left door over there. When I say so, you start banging on it and yelling as much as possible. I want you guys to distract him so I can slip out and get help. Everyone got it? (All nod.) Okay. (Roxy makes her way to the up center door and goes off to the side so the Stranger can’t see her through the glass. Everyone else makes their way over to the left door. They are all looking at Roxy for the signal. Roxy nods.)
All. (Except Roxy. Start pounded on the door and yelling, trying to attract the Stranger’s attention.)
(Roxy quickly opens the door. She looks to her right down into the hallway and then suddenly, the Stranger reaches out and grabs her from behind, placing one hand over her mouth. He pulls her out of view. You still do not see the Stranger.)
Allison. Roxy!
Reese. He took her.
(Kasper runs to the door, closes it, and locks it again.)
Willow. What are we going to do?
Kasper. (Weak.) We—we’re going to wait till morning.
Jade. It’s only midnight! We can’t keep him out for that long!
Kasper. (Yelling.) I’m sorry, Jade! What do you expect me to do? What? I’m stuck in here just like you.
Jade. (Still angry.) We at least need to do something.
Kasper. What can we do? We’re stuck here in this little room, waiting to be picked off, one by one.
Marcy. How can you say that?
Kasper. How can you not? It’s the truth!
Willow. You are a horrible person, Kasper.
Kasper. Yeah, well, you’re not that great either, Willow.
Willow. What do you mean by that?
Kasper. Oh, really? You really don’t remember? You want me to say it right now in front of everyone? Willow did cheat on that test.
Jade. I knew it!
Reese. You cheated, Willow?
Kasper. Yeah, Willow. Answer them. Why not confess? We’re screwed anyway.
Willow. (Floundering. Pointing an accusing finger at Kasper.) Kasper was the one who gave me the answers.
Allison. Kasper?
Kasper. (To Willow. Advancing.) You little—
Willow. What, Kasper? Are you going to hit a girl? Come on, I dare you. Do it!
Reese. Everyone stop! (Going in between Willow and Kasper.)
Kasper. (Pushes Reese aside.) Do you want to know the truth, Willow? I’ve always hated your guts. You and your attitude, always making everyone feel unimportant around you, beneath you. It makes me sick. I gave you those answers because I wanted to see you get in trouble for once in your pathetic life.
Willow. And do you want to know the truth, Kasper? You’re a sniveling little brat who acts tough, but really, I can demolish you. Marcy could take you. You’re nothing! You’ve got no future ahead of you. All you do is lie and cheat! And get this through your thick skull, because you need to hear it: No one likes you.
Allison. Stop! Everyone stop!
Reese. (Grabbing Kasper and pushing him away from Willow.) Don’t do it. Don’t you dare do it.
Willow. (Walking towards him, to center stage. Taunting.) Come on, Kasper. I’m right here.
(The lights suddenly go out. There are muffled cries in the darkness from the six kids. The lights flash and you see the Stranger in an all-black hood concealing his face, behind Willow, arms outstretched above his head, about to grab her. The lights go out again and after a few seconds, they come back on. Willow and the Stranger are gone.)
Marcy. (All sit and stand in a shocked silence for a while.) Did—did you see that?
Jade. She’s gone. Gone…
Allison. (Losing it.) Kasper’s right. None of us are going to make it out.
(Kasper is still staring at the spot where Willow was taken.)
Reese. No, we’re—
Allison. He got in here. He got in here and the doors were locked. There’s nothing stopping him now. We’re as good as dead.
Stranger. (Off.) There’s only five of you left…
Marcy. Just leave us alone. Please!
Stranger. (Off.) But that will ruin the fun.
Kasper. You…You took her.
Stranger. (Off.) I took them all. Six if you include that Jason boy.
Jade. (Horrified.) You took Jason?
Stranger. And now (The up center door creeps open an inch.) I want a seventh.
(All quickly back far away from the up center door. They are huddled in a group near the left door.)
Marcy. Why are you doing this?
Stranger. You’ll find out soon enough. (His gloved hand curls creepily around the doorframe. After a second, he yanks it back and shuts the door. The five hold tense for a moment or two and then breathe a sigh of relief. The left door is flung open and the Stranger reaches in and grabs Kasper. He yanks Kasper out. The others scramble away from the door and scream. The Stranger shuts the door after he takes Kasper.)
Allison. (After a tense pause.) This is insane!
Jade. What are we going to do?
Allison. He’s going to be back and—and…
Marcy. Where is he taking them?
Reese. Who is he?
Jade. That doesn’t matter if we don’t know what we’re going to do.
Allison. What can we do? He’ll take us no matter what!
Reese. Allison, stop.
Jade. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting out of here.
Marcy. What?
Allison. There’s nothing we can do!
Jade. I’m going to run and never look back until I’m out of here. You got that? He can’t take me if he can’t catch up with me.
Reese. Jade, this is crazy.
Jade. (Turns at the up center door.) Oh, my plan is crazy? I think it’s a little sane compared to all of this. (Gestures around.) See you later. (She opens the door, exits, and closes it behind her. After a second, the shadow of the Stranger slowly passes by the window.)
Allison. (Screams.)
Reese. Run, Jade!
Allison. He’s going to take her!
Marcy. (Running to the left door.) Come on! While he’s distracted.
Reese. (Nearly hysterical.)What about Jade?
Marcy. (Heartless.) Forget Jade. Come on. Hurry!
Allison. We—we can’t just leave her.
Marcy. Yes we can. Let’s go! (Opens the left door.) Come on. Run! (Marcy quickly exits. Reese and Allison run after her, going offstage.)
(After a few seconds, Jade comes running back onstage through the up center door. She is breathing heavily.)
Jade. I saw him. He almost had me, but I— (She realizes there is no one there.) Hello? Reese? Allison? Marcy? Am I the only one left?
Stranger. (Off.) Hello, Jade.
(Jade spins around to look at the up center door where the Stranger’s voice came from. The door bursts open, like with Lydia, and the stage instantly goes black. Jade screams. End of Act Two.)


Act 3
Scene 1
(The lights slowly come up on the classroom. It is somehow different. Tidy, clean and organized with extreme precision. Roxy, Beth, Jason, Evan, Kasper, Nathan, and Willow sit in desks. They all have their heads bent down; their eyes angled towards the top of the desk having no hope, and are dressed in bleak, yet perfect, identical or near-identical, wrinkle-free uniforms. They all seem to have given up on something, fearing what will come next. Jade is sitting in a desk closest to the audience. Her head is down against her desk. Slowly, she raises her head to look around in confusion.)
Jade. Wha—? (She looks around, not understanding.) Where—where am I? What’s going on?
Roxy. (Pressing a finger to her lips.) Shh.
Jason. Don’t talk.
Evan. He’ll be here soon.
Beth. He doesn’t like us talking.
Jade. What are you talking about? And what happened back at the school? (She realizes she’s still in the school.) I mean what happened here? The last thing I remember…
Nathan. (Gravely.) The Stranger.
Willow. I hear someone coming.
(All, except Jade, silence and sit up straight in their seats.)
Jade. I want to know what’s going on.
Mr. Grey. (Enters up center. He is also dressed in a suit or something impressive, except a tuxedo.) I see our newest student has woken up.
Jade. What do you mean newest student? Where am I?
Mr. Grey. (Chuckles.) Oh, Jade. (He goes and sits on his desk.) You’re in The Training School.
Jade. What? The Training School?
Mr. Grey. It’s where certain kids go to be trained for their special futures.
Jade. No. This is insane; a joke. It’s not funny and I’m leaving. (She stands up.)
Mr. Grey. (Commanding.) Sit down, Jade. (She instantly sits back in her chair, as if against her will.)
Jade. How—how did you do that?
Mr. Grey. I have control here in The Training School. When we brought you here, we installed a behavior device in you. It’s one of our many special devices here at The School.
Jade. (Not able to comprehend anything. Scared. She stutters at the beginning.) Wh-what is happening here? Why am I here?
Mr. Grey. I was just getting to that. Ever since your birth, you were destined to be at this school. We gave you to a couple who would raise you until you were this age.
Jade. (Extremely surprised.) My parents aren’t my real parents?
Mr. Grey. (Scoffs.) Of course not. They work for us. They did their jobs and now it is time to start your training to do yours.
Jade. This can’t be happening! I don’t believe you.
Evan. He’s telling the truth, Jade.
Kasper. Believe him.
Jade. People will start looking for me. People and my friends will want to know where I am! You can’t just make me disappear!
Mr. Grey. So young and so ignorant. Jade, what you don’t understand is this pro-ject, this facility, is of the highest of powers. So many powerful men and women work to support and benefit this School. You are the future minds of our country. But no one will ever know of you. You will work without being under the watchful eye. Your files, your data, any remembrances of you ever in the com-puterized world will be erased. Your parents will move away, supposedly bringing you along with them, to some other state and sending you to a boarding school. And soon, Jade, you will be nothing but a memory.
Jade. You’re crazy! You can’t just abduct children! People will know. Allison and Marcy and Reese, they’ll go to the police. They’ll tell what happened in the school. They’ll tell about the Stranger and what he did.
Mr. Grey. Ah, yes. Them. The failures. They were also supposed eventually be-come a student here at The School, but unfortunately, they did not live up to the standards. You see, we want children who are not perfect. We want flawed kids. Ones that don’t follow the rules, ones that speak out in class, ones that will some-times cheat on tests. We want kids that will take risks, but can still be molded into a success. The others, the failures, like Allison and Reese, are too much of good children. They will be influenced much easier than the others here. We do not want that. We want leaders to be able to follow strict rules and keep order and form, but be able to make the intelligent risk when necessary. Do you understand? But the failures play an important role. They tell of the story of how you all “mysteriously disappeared” and how “the Stanger took you.” All this does is make your sudden leavings look more like a story and soon you are simply forgotten.
Lydia. (Enters left. She is dressed in the uniform of the others. She stands straight with confidence and high intelligence. She looks older, by three or four years, and shows this by being dressed maturely, having on proper high heels and modest jewelry.) Hello, Mr. Grey.
Mr. Grey. Good evening, Lydia. Right on time. (To Jade.) This is Lydia. She is one of the successes.
Jade. (Pause. Horrified.) Lydia? The same Lydia from Nathan’s story?
Mr. Grey. That is correct.
Jade. She looks so young. Barely older than she was in the story. But she was ta-ken way back, wasn’t she?
Lydia. We don’t age as fast here. The location of The School is a special place that slows that aging process, but still allows time to normally continue.
Jade. Where are we?
Lydia. The Bermuda Triangle.
Mr. Grey. How old do you think I am, Jade?
Jade. Thirty?
Mr. Grey. I’m eighty-two. I’ve had this job for a very long time, and I’ve gotten very good at it. I don’t miss anything. Not one thing. I’m always watching. That’s how I knew Kasper gave answers to Willow. And to see how she would react, I wrote the message on the board.
Lydia. I heard you talking about Anne earlier? Is she all right?
Mr. Grey. Let’s not disturb the students. I already had enough trouble with Kasper.
Jade. What—what happened to Kasper?
Marcy. (Enters up center. She is dressed in bright attire, which stands out hugely against the dull classroom.) He had to be…disciplined.
Jade. Marcy? What are you doing here?
Marcy. (Her squeaky, goody-good manner is gone. She is almost evil now.) Are you surprised to see me, Jade? I’m a scout for The School. I give a second opinion to who is taken and who isn’t. Oh, Jade, you are going to make a great student. Away from your family and friends, away from a normal childhood and all those distractions. After your rigorous training, you’re going to make a fine leader. What you have is a great honor. (She almost enjoys rubbing this in.)
Lydia. Hello, Miss Henderson.
Marcy. Hello, Lydia. Are you ready for your trip?
Lydia. Yes, Miss Henderson.
Marcy. Good. Come with me. (She leads Lydia to the up center door. She turns around to say one last thing. Enjoying herself.) Goodbye, Jade. (Both exit.)
Mr. Grey. (To Jade.) You’re going to be staying with us for a long, long time.

Act 3
Scene 2
(The classroom is back to normal. Allison and Reese are onstage. They are confused about what they are discussing, wearing expressions of concern.)
Reese. I somehow got home and I told my mom everything. She told me to relax and just go to bed, saying we were all just scared and they were all just playing a joke. I almost believed her.
Allison. My parents did the exact same thing. But when I came here this morning, I couldn’t find anyone from last night. And when I asked, no one even remembered who Roxy or Nathan or Evan was. It’s like they vanished.
Reese. Nobody even knew who Mr. Grey was. I’m scared. I want to know what’s going on.
Marcy. (Enters up center with Lydia, who carries a briefcase. She is the old Marcy.) Hi, guys.
Allison. Hey, Marcy. Have you seen anyone from last night?
Marcy. No, actually. They’ll probably show up some time. Anyway, this is a lady from the district board, can you show her around? I have to go. (She quickly exits up center.)
Lydia. (Waves.) Hello.
Reese. Hi. Marcy, wait. (He goes to the up center door, opens it, and looks down into the hallway. He comes back in and closes the door.) She’s not there.
Allison. (Confused.) What?
(As Reese and Allison talk, Lydia begins to take files and papers out of Mr. Grey’s desk, placing them in her now open briefcase.)
Reese. She’s just gone. I guess she was in a hurry.
Allison. (To Lydia.) What are you doing?
Lydia. Cleaning up. (She snaps the case closed, finished. Softly.) Cleaning up the evidence.
Reese. Why are you taking Mr. Grey’s papers?
Lydia. Who is Mr. Grey?
Allison. I’m sorry, what is your name?
Lydia. Lydia.
(Allison and Reese realize this is the same Lydia from the story. They are stunned, just staring at her. Allison drops the binder she is holding; it clatters to the floor and she makes no move to pick it up.)
Allison. Oh, my…
Reese. The story…It was real.
Allison. Oh, God. The others…I—I have to get out of here! (She rips open the up center door and runs out.)
Reese. Allison, wait! (Turning to Lydia.) What happened to them? Where are they?
Lydia. I don’t know what you’re talking about, Reese. (She smiles.)
(Reese stares at Lydia and stumbles backwards out through the up centerdoor. The stage goes dark and the play ends.)

THE END










Costumes


Jade Olivias, Allison Cedar, Willow Jenson, Roxy Sanders, and Beth Williams—All these girls should have the normal clothing of a teenage girl. No-thing trashy or showing, but it should look like the girl put some thought into their outfit. No dresses or high heels, nothing flashy or formal. They can wear earrings and a necklace, but not something so big that it will interfere or attract too much attention. In Act Two, their clothes should be different seeing it is a week later. In Act Three, their clothes should be as close to matching as possible, preferably uniforms with some sort of symbol on the shirts.
Kasper Roswell, Reese Fredricks, Evan Stone, Nathan Smith, and Jason Denton—All of these boys should also have normal clothing of a teenage boy. A T-shirt and basketball shorts or jeans are fine. They can have on any of the wristbands that are popular. The costumes should be simple and comfortable and the shirts should have some sort of logo on it. They should not have anything on that screams attention and is outrageous. Like the girls, in Act Two their clothes should change if you wish. And in Act Three, their clothes should also be matching, preferably uniforms.
Marcy Henderson—Her clothes should be bright and flowing. They reflect her attitude and personality. She should not have on a dress since she does a lot of moving around and frankly, not many girls would where a dress to school and it would look awkward. A flowery, yellow, pink, or bright blue top will do with a skirt that is higher than her knees, but not a mini-skirt. She can even have on a little bracelet of some sort. She also has her hair neatly tucked behind her ears and secured by a hairband that has a flower or something on it. She can also have her hair in two identical braids; whatever looks most innocent. Her shoes are little slip-ons. Marcy’s costume is not over the top, it should just look innocent.
Mr. Grey—He should be dressed as a normal teacher would. It should be a casual collared shirt with jeans or even dress pants. His shoes should be somewhat formal. I would not recommend a sweater vest for Mr. Grey since I feel he wouldn’t look as threatening if he was in one. He can be in the same clothes throughout the entire play if desired.
Lydia—She should be dressed maturely and with over the top neatness. Her hair should be put in a tight bun or something else that is tight and secure. She can have small earrings, but no bracelets or necklaces.
The Stranger—He should be dressed in all black with a hood and everything. You never see the face of the Stranger so his costume needs to make sure of that. When the audience sees him take Willow, they should get the impression he is the Grim Reaper or some sorts.
Props


Act One, Scene Two: Backpacks (All, except Mr. Grey), Tupperware of Coo-kies (Marcy), Whiteboard Marker (Mr. Grey), Clipboard and Pen (Mr. Grey), Report (Marcy), Notebook (Mr. Grey), Cell Phone (Jason), Crumpled Paper or Rubber-band (Roxy), School Book and Notebook (Willow), and Test Answers (Kasper).

Act One, Scene Three: Backpacks (All, except Mr. Grey) and Clipboard and Pen (Mr. Grey).
Act Two, Scene One: A Pack of Mentos (Jade), Purse/Bag (Beth), Cell Phones (Beth and Allison), Ripped Rag (Kasper), Note (Stranger).
Act Two, Scene Two: Cell Phones (Roxy and Reese).
Act Three, Scene One: No props are needed.
Act Three, Scene Two: Backpacks (Reese, Allison), Briefcase (Lydia), Binder (Allison), Files and Papers (Lydia).